Transcript Week 2 - TasneemKasse

Ancient Jordanian cultures climate
• Paleolithic Period (500,000-17,000 BC)
The climate during this period was considerably wetter than today, which includes us.
Jordan has been affected by the global warming through ages. And therefore large
areas of modern-day desert were open plains ideal for a hunting and gathering
subsistence strategy.
• Neolithic Period (8500-4500 BC)
From the basic shifts in settlement patterns was prompted by the changing weather of
the eastern desert. The area grew warmer and drier, gradually becoming virtually
uninhabitable throughout much of the year. The distinction between the desert to the
east and the "sown" areas to the west dates back to this watershed climatic change,
which is believed to have occurred from around 6500-5500 BCE.
Human presence at Malia during the Neolithic period (6000-3000 B.C.)
• Chalcolithic Period (4500-3200 BC)
Chalcolithic man relied less on hunting than in Neolithic times, instead focusing
more on sheep and goat-breeding and the farming crops that grow in warm
environments such as: wheat, barley, dates, olives and lentils.
• Early Bronze Age (3200-1950 BC)
A sharp climatic change at this time resulted in less rainfall and higher
temperatures across the Middle East. The predominant theory is that many of these
Early Bronze Age towns were victims of changes in climate and political factors
which brought an end to a finely-balanced network of independent
 Earth's axial tilt is the main cause of the seasons. The earth’s axial tilt is not a fixed
quantity but changing over time in a cycle with a period of 41,000 years
Milankovitch theory describes the collective effects of changes in the Earth's
movements upon its climate which lead to an ice age, but the 20th century
instrumental temperature record shows a sudden rise in global temperatures
attributed to greenhouse gas emissions.
 Due the 498,050 years from the Paleolithic Period to Early bronze age the climate
has changed a lot and by the mentioned records the climate became more drier by
ages.
Definition:
Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical
and environmental processes that include weathering and erosion.
Soil formation greatly depends on the climate, Seasonal and daily temperature
fluctuations affect the effectiveness of water in weathering parent rock material
and affect soil dynamics .
It is used in agriculture, where it serves as the primary nutrient base for plants.
Soil material is a critical component in the mining and construction industries.
Soil serves as a foundation for most construction projects. Massive volumes of soil
can be involved in surface mining, road building and dam construction.
Soil pollution causes
•Industrial wastes, such as harmful gases and chemicals, agricultural
pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides are the most important causes of soil
pollution.
•Ignorance towards soil management and related systems.
•Unfavorable and harmful irrigation practices.
•Improper management and maintenance
•Leakages from sanitary sewage.
•Acid rains, when fumes released from industries get mixed with rains.
•Fuel leakages from automobiles, that get washed away due to rain and
seep into the nearby soil.
•Unhealthy waste management techniques, which are characterized by
release of sewage into the large dumping grounds and nearby streams or
rivers.
Effects of Soil Pollution
•Decrease in soil fertility and therefore decrease in the soil yield
•Loss of soil and natural nutrients present in it.
•Generally crops cannot grow and flourish in a polluted soil. Yet if some
crops manage to grow, then those would be poisonous enough to cause
serious health problems in people consuming them.
•Foul smell due to industrial chemicals and gases might result in headaches,
nausea etc. in many people.
Soil management
Soil Management, the basis of all scientific agriculture, which involves several
essential practices:
•Tillage
The purpose of tillage is to prepare the soil for growing crops. This preparation
is traditionally accomplished by using a plow that cuts into the ground and turns
over the soil. This removes or kills any weeds growing in the area and loosens
and breaks up the surface layers of the soil.
•Maintenance of organic matter
Organic matter is important in maintaining good physical conditions in the soil.
It contains the entire soil reserve of nitrogen and significant amounts of other
nutrients, such as phosphorus and sulfur.
•Nutrient supply
Among soil deficiencies that affect productivity, deficiency of nutrients is especially
important. The nutrients most necessary for proper plant growth are nitrogen,
potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, sulfur, and magnesium, all of which usually exist
in most soils in varying quantities
( Next slide shows the primary, secondary and micro-nutrients).
•Soil pollution
The increasing amounts of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals applied to soils
since World War II, plus industrial and domestic waste-disposal practices, led to
increasing concern over soil pollution. Soil pollution is the buildup in soils of persistent
toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease-causing agents,
which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health
•Pesticide residues
The effectiveness of a pesticide as well as the hazards of harmful residues depend
largely on how long the pesticide remains in the soil.